This document provides an overview of a lesson on the definition and methodology of history as an academic discipline. It discusses how the definition of history has evolved from simply studying past events to a more complex inquiry into various historical issues, sources, and perspectives. It explains that history considers multiple types of primary sources beyond just written documents to be more inclusive. The lesson also distinguishes between history as the study of past events and historiography as the study of how history is written and interpreted.
This document provides an overview of a lesson on the definition and methodology of history as an academic discipline. It discusses how the definition of history has evolved from simply studying past events to a more complex inquiry into various historical issues, sources, and perspectives. It explains that history considers multiple types of primary sources beyond just written documents to be more inclusive. The lesson also distinguishes between history as the study of past events and historiography as the study of how history is written and interpreted.
This document provides an overview of a lesson on the definition and methodology of history as an academic discipline. It discusses how the definition of history has evolved from simply studying past events to a more complex inquiry into various historical issues, sources, and perspectives. It explains that history considers multiple types of primary sources beyond just written documents to be more inclusive. The lesson also distinguishes between history as the study of past events and historiography as the study of how history is written and interpreted.
This document provides an overview of a lesson on the definition and methodology of history as an academic discipline. It discusses how the definition of history has evolved from simply studying past events to a more complex inquiry into various historical issues, sources, and perspectives. It explains that history considers multiple types of primary sources beyond just written documents to be more inclusive. The lesson also distinguishes between history as the study of past events and historiography as the study of how history is written and interpreted.
Module No. 2 Module Title Introduction to History: Definition, Issues, Sources, and Methodology Description This module introduces history as an academic discipline and as a of the Lesson narrative. It presents the definition of history, which transcends the common definition of history as the study of the past. It discusses several issues in history that consequently opens up for the theoretical aspects of the discipline. The distinction between primary and secondary sources is also discussed in relation to the historical subject matter being studied and the historical methodology employed by the historian. In addition, this module tackles the task of the historian as the arbiter of facts and evidences in interpreting and forming historical narrative. Learning At the end of this lesson, you should be able to realize the following Objectives objectives: To define history and to be familiar with the underlying philosophy and methodology of the discipline; To identify the differences between a primary source and a secondary source; To evaluate materials in terms of authenticity, credibility, and provenance; and To appreciate the importance of history in the social and national life of the Philippines.
LESSON PROPER
Before you read the discussion on the next page, kindly answer this: How do you define history? Do you believe that some historical accounts/sources are biased?
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LESSON 1 DEFINITION AND SUBJECT MATTER Duration 1 hour
History has always been known as the study of the past. Students of general education often dread the subject for its notoriety in requiring them to memorize dates, places, names, and events from distant eras. This low appreciation of the discipline may be rooted from the shallow understanding of history’s relevance to their lives and to their respective contexts. While the popular definition of history as the study of the past is not wrong, it does not give justice to the complexity of the subject and its importance to human civilization.
History was derived from the Greek word historia which means “knowledge acquired through inquiry or investigation.” History as a discipline existed around 2, 400 years and is as old as mathematics and philosophy. This term was then adapted to classical Latin where it acquired a new definition. Historia became known as the account of the past of a person or of a group of people through written documents and historical evidences. That meaning stuck until the early parts of the twentieth century. History became an important academic discipline. It became the historian’s duty to write about the lives of important individuals like monarchs, heroes, saints, and nobilities. History was also focused on writing about wars, revolutions, and other important breakthroughs. It is thus important to ask: What counts as history? Traditional historians lived with the mantra of ”no document, no history.”
Just like any other academic disciplines, history progressed and opened up to the possibility of valid historical sources, which were not limited to written documents— government records, chroniclers’ accounts, or personal letters. Giving premium to written documents essentially invalidates the history of other civilizations that do not keep written records. Some were keener on passing their history by word of mouth. Others got their historical documents burned or destroyed in the events of war or colonization. Restricting historical evidence as exclusively written is also discrimination against other social classes who were not recorded in paper. Nobilities, monarchs, the elite, and even the middle class would have their birth, education, marriage, and death as matters of government and historical record.
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The fact that there are groups of people who do not keep written records of their history, historians started using other kinds of historical sources, which are not in the written form but were as just valid. A few of these examples are oral traditions in forms of epics and songs, artifacts, architecture, and memory. History thus became more inclusive and started collaborating with other disciplines as its auxiliary disciplines.
Archeology: With the aid of archeologists, historians can
use artifacts from a bygone era to study ancient civilizations that were formerly ignored in history because of lack of documents.
Linguistics: Linguists can be helpful in tracing historical
evolutions, past connections among different groups, and flow of cultural influence by studying language and the changes that it has undergone.
Biology and Chemistry: Scientists like biologists and
chemists can help with the study of the past through analyzing genetic and DNA patterns of human societies.
ACTIVITY 1 Read the following questions and answer them in a one whole sheet yellow pad paper. Follow the format shown in Module 1. 1. How is your understanding of history different from what is explained in this lesson?
2. How would you relate hospitality management and/or tourism to history?
Explain.
ACTIVITY 2
Read the following questions and answer them in a one whole sheet of yellow pad paper. Use the format shown in Module 1. 1. What does the phrase “no document, no history” mean?
2. It was mentioned in the lesson that written documents were deemed as an
important historical source, but what about the unfortunate families or indigenous groups who were not given much thought about being registered to government records? Does the absence of written documents about them mean that they were people of no history or past? Did they even exist?
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LESSON 2 QUESTIONS AND ISSUES IN HISTORY Duration 1 hour
Indeed, history as a discipline has already turned into a complex and dynamic inquiry. This dynamism inevitably produced various perspectives on the discipline regarding different questions like: What is history? Why study history? And history for whom? These questions can be answered by historiography. In simple terms, historiography is the history of history. History and historiography should not be confused with each other.
History Historiography
• the object of the study is the past, • the object of the study is history the events that happened in the itself (i.e. How was a certain past, and the causes of such events historical text written? Who wrote it? What was the context of its publication? What particular historical method was employed? What were the sources used?)
With historiography, students do not only get to learn historical facts but are also provided with the understanding of the facts’ and the historians’ contexts. The methods employed by the historian and the theory and perspective, which guided him/her, will also be analyzed. Historiography is important for those who study history because it teaches the students to be critical in the lessons of history presented to them.
History has played various roles in the past. States use history to unite a nation. It can be used as a tool to legitimize regimes and forge a sense of collective identity through collective memory. Lessons from the past can be used to make sense of the present. Learning of past mistakes can help people to not repeat them. Being reminded of a great past can inspire people to keep their good practices to move forward.
POSITIVISM school of thought that emerged between the 18th and 19th century This thought requires empirical and observable evidence before one can claim that a particular knowledge is true. In the discipline of history, the mantra “no document, no history” stems from this very same truth, where historians were required to show written primary documents in order to write a particular historical narrative. Positivist historians are also expected to be objective and impartial not just in their arguments but also on their conduct of historical research.
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As a narrative, any history that has been taught and written is always intended for a certain group of audience. When the ilustrados, like Jose Rizal, Isabelo de los Reyes, and Pedro Paterno wrote history, they intended it for the Spaniards so that they would realize that Filipinos are people of their own intellect and culture. When American historians depicted the Filipino people as uncivilized in their publications, they intended that narrative for their fellow Americans to justify their colonization of the islands. They wanted the colonization to appear not as means of undermining the Philippines’ sovereignty, but as a civilizing mission to fulfill what they called as the white man’s burden. The same is true for nations which prescribe official versions of their history like North Kore, the Nazi Germany during the war period, and Thailand. The same was attempted by Marcos in the Philippines during the 1970s.
POSTCOLONIALISM school of thought that emerged between the early 20th century when formerly colonized nations grappled with the idea of creating their identities and understanding their societies against the shadows of their colonial past Postcolonial history looks at two things in writing history: (1) to tell the history of their nation that will highlight their identity free from that of colonial discourse and knowledge, (2) to criticize the methods, effects, and idea of colonialism. Postcolonial history is, therefore, a reaction and an alternative to the colonial history that colonial powers created and taught to their subjects.
One of the problems confronted by history is the accusation that the history is always written by victors. This connotes that the narrative of the past is always written from the bias of the powerful and the more dominant player. For instance, the history of the Second World War in the Philippines always depicts the United States as the hero and the Imperial Japanese Army as the oppressors. Filipinos who collaborated with the Japanese were lumped in the category of traitors or collaborators. However, a more thorough historical investigation will reveal a more nuanced account of the history of that period instead of a simplified narrative as a story of hero versus villain.
ANALYSIS 1
Essay. Read and understand the questions below. Write your answer in a yellow pad paper. Follow the given format and rubric in Module 1.
Give an example of an event from our nation’s past that may be considered as a good learning opportunity and a good reminder to us, Filipinos, to not repeat the same mistake made by our ancestors (It can be an economic, a political, or a social issue/event.). Do you think we really learned from it or are we still doing the same mistake? Explain your answer.
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LESSON 3 HISTORY AND THE HISTORIAN Duration 1 hour
An exact and accurate account of the past is impossible for the very simple reason that we cannot go back to the past. We cannot access the past directly as our subject matter. Historians only get to access representation of the past through historical sources and evidences.
Therefore, it is the historians’ job not just to seek historical evidences and facts but also to interpret these facts. “Facts cannot speak for themselves.” It is the job of the historians to give meaning to these facts and organize them into a timeline, establish causes, and write history. Meanwhile, the historians are not a blank paper who mechanically interpret and analyze present historical fact. Historians are people of their own who are influenced by their own context, environment, ideology, education, and influences, among others. In that sense, their interpretation of the historical fact is affected by their context and circumstances. Their subjectivity will inevitably influence the process of their historical research: the methodology that they will use, the facts that they shall select and deem relevant, their interpretation, and even the form of their writings. Thus, in one way or another, history is always subjective. If that is so, can history still be considered as an academic and scientific inquiry?
Historical research requires rigor. Despite the fact that historians cannot ascertain absolute objectivity, the study of history remains scientific because of the rigor of research and methodology that historians employ. Historical methodology comprises certain techniques and rules that historians follow in order to properly utilize sources and historical evidences in writing history. Certain rules apply in cases of conflicting accounts in different sources, and on how to properly treat eyewitness accounts and oral sources as valid historical evidence. In doing so, historical claims done by historians and the arguments that they forward in their historical writings, while may be influenced by the historian’s inclinations, can still be validated by using reliable evidences and employing correct and meticulous historical methodology.
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THE ANNALES SCHOOL OF HISTORY
school of history born in France that challenged the canons of history This school of thought did away with the common historical subjects that were almost always related to the conduct of states and monarchs. Annales scholars like Lucien Febvre, Marc Bloch, Fernand Braudel, and Jacques Le Goff studied other subjects in a historical manner. They were concerned with social history and studied longer historical periods. For example, Annales scholars studied the history of peasantry, the history of medicine, or even the history of environment. The history from below was pioneered by the same scholars. They advocated that the people and classes who were not reflected in the history of the society in the grand manner be provided with space in the records of mankind. In doing this, Annales thinkers married history with other disciplines like geography, anthropology, archeology, and linguistics.
For example, if a historian chooses to use an oral account as his data in studying the ethnic history of the Ifugaos of the Cordilleras during the American Occupation, he needs to validate the claims of his informant through comparing and corroborating it with written sources. Therefore, while bias is inevitable, the historian can balance this out by relying to evidences that back up his claim. In this sense, the historian need not let his bias blind his judgement and such bias is only acceptable if he maintains his rigor as a researcher.
ANALYSIS 2
Essay/Position paper. Read and understand the questions below. Write your answer on a yellow pad paper. Follow the format and rubric given in Module 1.
If history is written with agenda or is heavily influenced by the historian, is it possible
to come up with an absolute historical truth? Is history an objective discipline? If it is not, is it still worthwhile to study history? Express your arguments and justify them.
_________________________________________________________________________ Source: Candelaria, J. L., & Alporha, V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.
